1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having contacts reliably retained in an insulating housing thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (Serial ATA) connectors are generally used for connecting storage peripheral devices such as hard disk drives with a printed circuit board of a computer so as to achieve signal or power transmission therebetween.
Some Serial ATA connectors are provided with press-fit contacts for facilitating mounting the connectors on a printed circuit board. When using the press-fit contacts that engage inner surfaces of corresponding plated through holes of the printed circuit board, it is desirable to have a high enough retention force to ensure a reliable electrical connection between the connector and the printed circuit board. The press-fit contact with a high retention force typically requires a high insertion force, which results in an upward movement of the contact relative to the housing during the downward insertion of the contact into the plated through hole of the printed circuit board. Even worse, the contact may be pushed out from the housing. As a result, the connector is unreliably mounted on the printed circuit board and an electrical connection therebetween is adversely affected.
On the other hand, the press-fit contacts of the Serial ATA connector generally have mating portions arranged in a common row for engaging with a complementary connector and compliant portions arranged in two rows in a staggered manner for connecting to a printed circuit board. In order to conform to new footprints of the printed circuit board on which the Serial ATA connector is mounted, it is necessary to design new press-fit contacts having compliant portions respectively located in a center portion along which a longitudinal axis of the connector extends and a side portion offset from the center portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,296 (the '296 patent), assigned to the same assignee with this patent application, discloses an electrical connector comprising an insulating housing and a plurality of first-type press-fit contacts received in the housing. The housing is formed with a ledge at a bottom thereof with pockets defined therein. Each first-type contact includes a supporting shoulder and a transverse portion respectively abutting against opposite sides and a base of a corresponding pocket, whereby the first-type contacts have enhanced retention force in the housing during the insertion of the contacts into corresponding plated through holes of a printed circuit board. Although the first-type contacts of the '296 patent are reliably retained in the housing, they cannot be used in the Serial ATA connector since they do not conform to the new footprints of the printed circuit board.
Hence, a Serial ATA connector having new press-fit contacts is required.